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Remove the Mask

Two Resonating Hearts

Yusei POV

It's already been two weeks since we found the photo. No matter how much we pried, Security wasn't budging on giving us any more information. They kept saying that they had given us everything that they had, but something was telling me that they were hiding something. Our nightly surveillance of the underground duels were going nowhere since the robed figures had literally dropped off the grid and Jack's lead from the barista had gone cold. We were at a sit still and it was driving me insane. With less than four hours of sleep in the past week, I was at my wits end. I was looking over the documents of the boxes for the umpteenth time when a hand fell on my shoulder, startling me.

Martha tsked as I raised my head and my eyes met her own. "Yusei Fudo, you look a fright." Her hands rested on her hips, giving me one of her motherly looks.

"It's good to see you," I greeted, placing the documents on the coffee table as I drug a hand across my face in an attempt to wake myself up. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"Look at you," she sighed, examining me from different angles. "You have some of the biggest bags I have ever seen, you're more pale than baby powder, and you look thin as a toothpick. Judging from your hair, I'm guessing that you haven't had a shower in a while." She cupped my face between her hands, a hardness entering her eyes. "Akiza wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. What would she think if you found her tonight and you looked like this, huh?" A sheepish smile wormed its way onto my face despite the emptiness that I felt. When I didn't say anything, she released my face and sat on the sofa across from me. "It's been that rough on you."

"You say that like its no mystery," I halfheartedly joked. "I must really look awful then."

"You three look as if Death was standing on your doorstep. Honestly, I would think you all knew better than to do this to yourselves." Picking up the documents, she waved me away and pointed upwards. "You go on and take care of yourself."

"Martha-" My words were cut off by the stern hard look she gave me. "Yes, ma'am." Sighing, I stood and made the slow trek up the staircase. Each step felt as if I was climbing a mountain. I spotted Crow and Jack passed out in the spare bedrooms as I made my way to my own and realization hit me like a punch to the gut. She was right: we were running ourselves into the ground. If we kept going on like this, we were bound to make mistakes and lose our focus. The lights switched on as I walked into my personal bathroom and turned on the shower. My movements stalled as I caught sight of myself in the mirror. She was right, I looked like a zombie. Shaking my head, I stepped under the water and sighed as the warmth slowly spread throughout my body. My messy hair fell flat against my head as I worked the shampoo into it but the ends remained in their upward angles.

I paused as a sound seemed to echo in the tiled room. Was that a...piano? Glancing at the shower radio and finding it off, I shook my head. "I'm so tired I'm hearing things." My breath caught as the room spun and black began to creep along the edges of my vision as a memory flooded my mind...

*Flashback Start*

I was standing next to the grand piano that sat in Akiza's favorite room. The walls were a sunlight yellow, the floor was sandstone colored, and the large windows were open, allowing a warm breeze to sweep through the room. She was sitting on the bench, wearing a simple sunflower patterned sundress that had lace straps, and wearing an expression of dismay. "Having troubles?" I asked, sitting next to her.

She sighed, gesturing to the sheet music. "I have to have this down by next week and I'm still having so much trouble with this part."

"Would you like me to play with you?"

"I thought you didn't play the piano-" She blinked as I darted out of the room and returned with my guitar case. "Since when did you know how to play that?!" When I explained that I was teaching myself in secret, her eyes lit up and began to sparkle. "You're amazing!"

Scratching the back of my head, I settled the guitar in my hands and studied the sheet music. It was a simple song that we were both familiar with, but I understood why she was having trouble. "Okay, try playing it in a different way, maybe put your own twist and style to it." My fingers played across the strings, filling the room with tight tones. Her expression lightened before becoming concentrated as she turned her attention back to the piano and began to play. The piano notes seemed to harmonize with my guitar's and I swore the room brightened as she began to tweak the music to her liking. We both jumped as one of the strings on the guitar suddenly broke, cutting the music off.

*Flashback End*

I gasped as my vision cleared, bringing the tiled walls of the shower into focus and finding myself leaning heavily against the shower door. "And now I'm imagining things..." I mumbled, straightened and turning off the water as I stepped out. My breath caught as faint piano notes rang through the air as her face swam in my mind. "Yusei, you're losing it." Quickly drying off, I redressed and fell onto the bed.

"Yusei~"

"Akiza..." I cringed as her voice rang in my ears, tears beginning to form in my eyes as she seemed to materialize next to the bed.

"Play for me?" She smiled, holding out my electric guitar. "We could play together!"

I wordlessly reached under the bed and pulled out the dusty case, the clasps popping as they opened and the leather creaking slightly as I lifted the lid. "I remember when you gave me this," I whispered, my fingers trailing across the glossy navy blue body that had gold colored tribals curling around the edges. "You gave it to me out of the blue after that day I played with you. You said that I should have a proper guitar to play instead of the toy one."

A grand piano suddenly materialized next to her and she took her place in front of it. "What song should we play?"

"Whatever you want," I forced a smile, swinging the strap over my shoulder. "You go ahead and start."(A/N: I made a remix of Falling Inside the Black piano cover and Dead Inside by Skillet) The same piano notes from before began to fill the air as her fingers moved across the keys as she hummed softly. My hands shook slightly as I observed. Even if this was nothing more than a figment of my imagination, I would play again for her. My head began to bob as I began to play alongside her. Our songs were different, yet they flowed together effortlessly as we played.

"Tonight I'm so alone, This sorrow takes a hold~"

"I'd walk through wind and fire~"

"Don't leave me alone, Cause I barely see at all~"

My eyes grew wide as our voices began to harmonize with the music we were creating. This wasn't happening inside my head at all. "These hollow hands reach out For you to touch me now~"

"Falling in the black, slipping through the cracks~"

"My heart and soul flat-lines~"

"Falling to the depths, can I ever go back?~"

"My blood runs dry~"

Her image wavered as she glanced in my direction, her eyes locking with mine. "Can you hear me?~"

I nodded. "Save me from this death inside. You were my source of strength~"

"I want it the way it was..." She stood and walked to the bed, the piano notes slowly fading into silence as my own hands fell still, leaving only our voices. "Can't hear me scream from the abyss~"

"I'd walk through wind and fire..."

"Can you hear me?~"

"My heart and soul flat-lines...Falling to the depths, can I ever go back?..."

Silence fell as our eyes locked onto one another. As if she were a mirage, she wavered again but when she came into focus, she looked older...almost around our age. Her eyes held shock in them and her lips were parted slightly as she hesitantly reached a hand out. I felt my own eyes widen as her fingers brushed my cheek, leaving it tingling. "A-Akiza?!" Leaping to my feet, I reached out to grasp her shoulders, but only grasped empty air and collided with the wall. Frustration and sadness flooded my body as I sank to the floor, the guitar sliding from my hands.

"Can you hear me?~"

"Where are you?" I murmured, unable to keep back the tears any longer. "Tell me."

All the air in my lungs seemed to vanish as my vision swam and the sensation of floating overcame my senses. The walls became red and the hardwood floor was covered in beige shag carpet. I was facing a window that had black lace curtains that were tied back with a beige cord, revealing the moonless night sky and the silent street that was almost invisible if it weren't for the street lights. Something moved in the glass, bringing it into focus and it felt as if my heart had stopped: Akiza's reflection was where my own was, creating a mix. Just like the image, she had grown taller and had matured immensely. Tears were falling from her eyes as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. "Yusei..." Her soft whisper washed over me like a tidal wave and it felt as if all of her sadness had poured into me, combining with my own. "Yusei..."

"Akiza," I whispered as she rested her forehead against the glass plane. "I can hear you. Will you wait a little longer for us?"

"Yes." Everything froze as her hand rose and rested against the glass.

I raised my own and placed it in the same position as she faded...and found it warm. My eyes refocused as frost began to form on the pane and revealed writing. "I will wait for as long as it takes" it said. Sighing, I fell backwards onto the bed and rolled onto my side facing the window as the words faded. "Hang in there, Akiza." My eyes were drifting closed when the street popped up in my head. Grabbing a pen from the nightstand, I scribbled the street onto my palm just before I fell into unconsciousness.

...

Akiza POV

I released a choked sob as his reflection disappeared. Had I imagined this whole thing...or was this a trick? Was he toying with me? I shook my head, recalling the warmth of his cheek. There was no way I would have imagined that. The sound of the door opening caught my attention as a shadow fell across the carpet and stretching up onto the wall. "My answer is still no," I nearly growled, refusing to turn around and face the figure. "I won't do it." My vision swam as they stated that I had no choice and I found myself falling into the familiar darkness again. "Yusei...

Cliff hanger! Please don't kill me! Let me know what you think!